‘Real Country’ tries a little too hard
How “real” is “Real Country” (10 p.m., USA, TV-PG)? The “new” reality musical competition features Shania Twain, Jake Owen and Travis Tritt as hosts and mentors of aspiring country artists. It takes place in a huge amphitheater before a loud, hooting audience with a professional studio band and all the bells and whistles of every other musical competition series you’ve ever seen.
While there’s nothing terribly new here, you can’t fault the hosts for trying to put a new spin on a familiar format. But sometimes they seem to assume that we’ve never watched television and haven’t heard this all before.
The promotional material made available includes some absurd whoppers. Tritt is on hand to champion old-fashioned country, harkening back to the days when things were simple and pure. But he looks like he spent more time in hair and makeup than Shania. Twain says she wants to champion “diversity,” then brings out a singer whose peroxide persona would not be out of place on “Fox & Friends.” Owen says he’s all about contemporary sounds.
My favorite bit of hyperbole comes from Twain, who says, “there’s never been anything” like “Real Country.” I’d believe that if I suddenly suffered amnesia and forgot all of the country moments on “American Idol” and “The Voice” or series like “Nashville Star,” “Gone Country” or “CMT’s Next Superstar.”
I guess nothing says reality TV more than people trying too hard to seem genuine. This would be easier to take if they just relaxed and embraced the spectacle.
More than most genres, country music has always been up-front about combining the razzle-dazzle with the illusion of sincerity. The first country stars to transcend regional appeal were Hollywood stars. And Roy Rogers was as glammed up as Liberace. There’s nothing more Nashville than a Nudie suit, the gaudiest getup imaginable.
Perhaps nobody summed up the fakery of
Nashville showbiz better than Dolly Parton, who famously quipped that “it takes a lot of money to look this cheap.”
For all of its “American Idol”-inspired production values, “Real Country” still puts giant hay bales on its stage, just like they used to on “The Porter Wagoner Show,” when Parton performed there more than 50 years ago.
› In other musical news, Netflix begins streaming “Loudon Wainwright III: Surviving Twin.”
TV-themed DVDs available today include the complete series collection of “Detectorists.”
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› Back in the pews on “The Conners” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
› Decades after combat, soldiers reunite with men who saved their lives on the second season premiere of “We’ll Meet Again” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings), hosted by Ann Curry.
› “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” (9 p.m., A&E) interviews former members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses sect, who share stories of tragedy and loss.
› Weapons of mass distraction on “The Kids Are Alright” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› War stories on “This Is Us” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin .tvguy@gmail.com.